What do you do when you simply don’t feel like homeschooling? You capitalize on one of these fun and easy educational days instead!
Do you ever wake up and simply not want to homeschool? I know I do. I wake up and want to toss my lesson plans in the air. I want a change of pace. Yet I don’t want to neglect my children’s education.
Instead I compromise and choose one of these ten educational days when I don’t want to homeschool.
Fun Educational Days for Homeschoolers
1. Reading Day
Reading days are simple. Spend the day curled up with a good book. Each member of the family can curl up in the living room with sleeping bags, pillows, and books. You can also spend the day curled up reading aloud to your children.
Brew up coffee and fix some hot cocoa. Enjoy a relaxing day with your children. And don’t feel guilty! Reading days encourage both the skill and a love of reading in your children.
2. Home Economics Day
Home economics days are flexible and change according to your needs. Is family descending upon you tomorrow? Spend the day scrubbing down the house.
These are also great days to spend in the kitchen baking Valentine’s Day cookies with your children. Other options are to spend the day knitting, sewing, fixing up the lawn, or painting a child’s room.
3. Nature Study Day
Sometimes we’re desperate to get out of the house and breathe fresh air. Nature study is an excellent excuse to spend the day outside.
Explore parks and nature trails in your area. Look for animal tracks, observe the trees, and search for signs of spring. Pack a lunch so you don’t need to return home too soon, especially before you’ve had a chance to stretch your legs and wear out the kids.
4. Art Day
Do you constantly put art projects off for a more convenient time? A time when you’re not racing the clock to dash to the next activity or put dinner on the table?
Declare an Art Day and spend it painting. Create clay pots. Design stain glass. Color pictures. Spend the day completing all those messy projects you never seem to get around to. You and your kids will have a blast.
5. Field Trip Day
Not all field trips need to be scheduled. Take the opportunity to sneak out of the house and check out the local museums. Drop by the zoo. Go swimming.
Check out an area of town you rarely visit. Wander your neighborhood. If there’s a university nearby, take an afternoon to wander the campus. If nothing else, you can observe the various architectural styles of the local buildings.
6. Library Day
The library is an underutilized tool of modern society. Not only does it house books for research, it also carries magazines, DVDs, and historical documents.
Take a day and introduce the kids to the library. Explore the nooks and crannies. Look up books, subjects, and authors on the catalog. Explain the Dewey Decimal system to your kids. Being familiar with a library is a needed part of your children’s education.
7. Documentary Day
Documentaries are a fun alternative to textbooks, especially if everyone is under the weather. Instead of trying to focus on a white page and tiny text, spend a day watching documentaries about topics you’re studying. Look for documentaries on history, science, and geography topics.
Get a new perspective on what you’re studying. Documentaries can give you a view of a world it’s hard to visit. See the Great Wall of China. Check out the moons of Jupiter. Dive deep into the ocean. Watch a world appear to your children they never dreamed of.
8. Movie Day
Movies are an awesome way to visit other time periods and see different cultures. Documentaries can give a factual experience, but movies are stories. The stories bring characters to life.
You can see historical figures and see what made them the people they are. People such as Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great are no longer names in a textbook. They become living, breathing people to your kids.
9. Science Day
Art isn’t the only subject that gets pushed aside in the rush of modern life. How many times have you postponed science because there’s no time for the experiments? How many times have you put an experiment on hold until later?
Today’s the day! Haul out those science supplies, make a run by the store if needed, and spend the day doing science. Read what makes the experiments work. Do the experiments and see what happens yourself. Have fun and learn science at the same time.
10. Game Day
Game days are simple. Just pull out all the games in the house. Play board and card games like they’re going out of style. Feel free to pop popcorn or bake cookies to enjoy while playing.
Game days aren’t just about playing instead of working and having a good time. Take the opportunity to work on good sportsmanship, discuss ethics, and chat about cheating. Teach your kids how to handle winning and losing like a pro.
Worthwhile Educational Days
Education doesn’t just happen during the set times for academics, and sometimes a fun break is just what’s needed. Take a break and enjoy an educational day with your family.
What are your favorite types of educational days?
We do many of these; and usually when it’s a day I feel like I can not pull out all our books again. They’re fun sanity saving days that encourage a love of learning.
We’re doing exactly that today – tossing out the lesson plans. I have a few videos we’ll watch, an art project to work on, and some free reading time. Still learning – just no workbooks or lesson plans.
I love this and this is such a helpful list! I find audio books and educational DVDs are a lifesaver!
Thanks for sharing!
Love these ideas. Some days school just isn’t going to happen in the traditional sense, whether mom doesn’t feel well or a child is grumpy… These are some great ways to keep them learning.
I love that you included field trips. We make travel educational and that can mean exploring your own backyard. The whole world is a classroom!
This is so good! I’ve heard people throw ideas out there for being flexible with yourself and your kids, but these are tangible ideas that are still so effective and fun! I would list a self care day for Dr appointments and celebrating mental health!